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People have gathered around fire for as long as human civilization has existed. The invention of the modern fireplace further increased the popularity of gathering together around a fire. In the past families have gather around fireplaces in the evening to stay warm, share the details of their day, and read stories from classic books. Throughout American history one person truly turned the fireplace into an icon. Franklin D. Roosevelt's fireside chats were delivered by him from 1933 to 1944. He used these chats as an opportunity to communicate with the American people during his many years as president. The years during which the president delivered these evening chats were wrought with strife and troubles for people living in the United States. During that time the countries economy sunk into a depression that has since been titled the great depression. The radio addresses that eventually became known as fireside chats were not the formal speeches people were used to. These intimate talks were specifically written to be understood and absorbed by the common man. It was because of the nature of these speeches that CBS correspondent Harry Butcher referred to the radio addresses as fireside chats. The images that were evoked by this name of families gathered around the radio near their fireplace listening to their leaders words of encouragement were so strong that the administration and other media sources quickly adopted the name. In preparation for these rallying and morale boosting talks, Roosevelt realized that he needed a way to reach out to people and make them feel like they were a part of the country. Franklin Roosevelt spent much time considering the rhetoric of these weekly radio addresses. He wanted people listening to easily relate and understand his message so most of the words he spoke were among the top one thousand English words used by Americans at the time. Only twenty percent of the words he spoke were outside of the top 1000. Choosing to use vocabulary that everyone living in the United States could understand, helped the president rally support for his New Deal plan and restore peoples faith in American financial institutions. Besides using words that Americans were familiar with the president also to other measures to make the fireside chats seem more personal. He often used phrases like "Good evening, friends", and he referred to the American people as "you". This gave people the sense that he was speaking to them directly. The fireside chats renewed people's faith in the government and made Roosevelt one of the most loved Presidents in American History. Many people who were living during the time of these famous addresses will tell you that gathering around their home fireplace imagining the president in their home with them, reassuring them, truly made the difficult times a little easier. Even today home fireplaces serve as a place to gather and spend time with friends and family. The comforting feelings evoked by Roosevelt's fireside chats are still being channeled. Since Roosevelt's time as president it has become a tradition for the serving president to deliver a weekly radio chat directly to the American people. Visit Agee Woodworks online for more information about custom fireplace mantles. They can be found online at AgeeWoodworks.com.
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president, history, roosevelt, fireside chats, government,
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